Academics Overview

Academic standards, aligned with state standards, define expectations for the educational achievement of students attending the Saint Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists (SPCPA). These standards ensure all students have access to high-quality content and instruction.

Standards and benchmarks are important because:

1. They identify the knowledge and skills that all students must achieve by the end of a grade level
2. They help define the course credit qualifications for graduation
3. They serve as a guide for the school’s adoption and design of curriculum.

SPCPA measures student mastery of the standards through state and local assessments. The Saint Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists aligns with Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards in English, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies. Standards in World Languages developed at the local level coincide with national standards.

Students engage daily in academic programming to meet graduation requirements, as determined by the state of Minnesota and Saint Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists, and prepare for the college or post-secondary conservatory program of their choice. All academic teachers hold licenses granted by the Minnesota Board of Teaching.

For more information on Minnesota’s graduation requirements, please visit the Minnesota Department of Education website